Jealousy rides with me
by mermaidNZ
Summary: After flying halfway around the world to visit Steve, Cath is surprised to find he's already got company for the night. - Danny/Steve, past Cath/Steve. - Standalone one-shot, no spoilers.


**Pairing:** Danny/Steve (past Cath/Steve).

**Rating / Warnings: **PG-13 for language and mild sexual references; no content warnings apply.

**Spoilers: **It's set sometime after 2x04, but there are no spoilers.

**Author's notes: **This one-shot, standalone fic was inspired by a rec request for Danny/Steve stories featuring jealous!Cath. I couldn't think of any, but I wound up writing one! The title comes from the Death Cab For Cutie song.

* * *

Cath had been scheduled to depart for Hawaii early the following morning, but at the last minute she was able to hop an overnight cargo flight. Though it wasn't exactly a pleasant way to travel, she figured it was worth the discomfort to get to surprise Steve and enjoy an extra half-day with him. She only had a 96-hour pass and it was an 18-hour flight each way, so every minute counted.

They hadn't seen each other for months, not since she'd suddenly been deployed to the Middle East, and Cath hadn't had sex since then, either. She never knocked boots with any of the guys on board – it was tough enough being a female officer, without getting an unwanted reputation too. So she was desperate for the touch of someone else's hands on her body.

Cath touched down at Pearl Harbor-Hickam just after sunset Friday, exhausted and jetlagged. But once she'd showered and changed into her favorite dress, she felt a little more alive. She devoured some sushi at one of the base food courts (_God_, she'd missed decent sushi) and washed it down with a Red Bull; if the night ahead went as she was hoping, she'd need all that energy and more.

She signed out a vehicle from the motor pool, and got on the road. The rush hour traffic was starting to clear, so she made good time out to Steve's place. Driving along the island's southeastern coast, Cath drank in the sight of the volcanic landscape and tropical vegetation. After the Persian Gulf, Hawaii looked more beautiful than ever. She felt like she could _breathe_, here.

Steve's front door was locked, and Cath didn't have a key – the two of them didn't have that kind of relationship. She heard voices from the beach, though, and frowned a little as she walked around the side of the house. She hadn't counted on Steve having friends over tonight, and wasn't sure she had the strength to deal with new people. But she'd heard so much about the Five-0 team that it would be nice to finally meet them.

She peered around the corner and saw that just the one friend was here: a blond guy, sitting on a blanket down by the water. Steve had described his partner so thoroughly that Cath had no doubt at all. This had to be Danny Williams, the detective who got on Steve's nerves and got him to laugh.

Danny was holding a beer and laughing at something Steve had said. Steve himself was kneeling beside that small portable grill of his, cooking steak like he'd done for Cath when she first visited. He looked healthy and happy, and her heart skipped a beat. Cath wasn't in love with Steve, or anything sappy like that, but the sight of him after all this time was still such a pleasure.

* * *

She was about to step forward and announce her presence – maybe jokingly ask if this was a private party or if she could join in. But some odd instinct held Cath back. So she was a good distance away, and still safely concealed, when Steve transferred the steaks onto plates, set them aside, and turned to kiss Danny.

Cath felt the breath leave her body like she'd been punched in the stomach.

She bit her lip hard, to stop herself making a sound, as Danny tilted his head back and brought one hand up to cup Steve's jaw. The kiss looked passionate, yet practiced. This clearly wasn't a sudden explosion of built-up need, but a regular thing between them. Danny broke away for a second, to plant his beer bottle in the sand, and then pulled Steve down onto the blanket with him.

And Cath couldn't watch any more...she turned away and retreated, quietly making her way back through Steve's yard and out to her car. She sat in the driver's seat for long minutes, and stared unseeing at the palm-lined street as she tried to process what she was feeling.

Shock, yes; anger, too, though she had no right to it. She and Steve had made no promises of fidelity or commitment, after all. They were just friends who fucked sometimes, and sometimes fucked other people too.

But she'd never seen Steve with anyone else before, and had never resented any of those nameless, faceless others until now. Jealousy left a bitter taste in Cath's mouth – or maybe that was the adrenaline, still sending tremors through her body even after she'd chosen flight over fight.

That it was _Danny _was the biggest surprise of all. Steve had never said a word about being interested in guys, but in their line of work admitting that to anyone (even a trusted buddy) was one hell of a risk. If Steve had done this before, he'd been damn good at hiding it.

On the other hand...she'd noticed how much he talked about his partner, animated in a way he rarely got when telling stories about his SEAL team. Cath had felt glad Steve was settling in, back here in his much-missed childhood home, and letting his guard down enough to get close to his civilian teammates.

Now she wondered if this thing with Danny had been going on for months, or if it was a more recent development.

But Cath was still glad for Steve, despite everything else. He was her friend, first and foremost, and he deserved more affection and support than she could give him on her brief and infrequent visits. She'd seen _tenderness _between him and Danny, just now, and Steve had seemed so relaxed. Those were good things, however disappointed she felt that her much-anticipated booty call was off.

And maybe it was off the table, permanently. Cath had to accept the possibility that she'd never be with Steve again, not if his relationship with Danny was the real deal instead of just another fuck buddy arrangement.

She touched her fingertips to her lower lip, which was tingling where she'd bitten it. Even through her shock, a spark of liquid heat had kindled inside Cath at the sight of Steve and Danny together. Now she'd just have to find someone else to fan the flames.

Cath started the engine, found a radio station playing cheesy upbeat pop music, and turned the car around to head back into Honolulu. Steve surely wasn't the only guy on this island who could show a girl a good time, and the night was still young.


End file.
